Bovine dehorning: assessing pain and providing analgesic management

Dehorning or disbudding in cattle is performed for a variety of reasons using various methods. Pain associated with this procedure has been mostly evaluated through behavioral, physiologic, and neuroendocrine changes following dehorning. Analgesics, including local nerve blockades, anti-inflammatories, and opioids have demonstrated an effective attenuation of the cortisol response. The administration of sedatives with analgesic properties has been indicated in the attenuation of the acute phase of pain associated with dehorning. Following a literature review, this article recommends a multimodal approach to analgesia for dehorning procedures, including the use of a local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory and, when possible, a sedative-analgesic.